New Delhi [India] July 1 : Congress MP Manish Tewari on Wednesday strongly criticised a letter reportedly signed by over 100 prominent citizens from India and Pakistan seeking restoration of peace and dialogue between the two countries, saying such calls ignore repeated terror attacks and the history of cross-border violence.
Speaking to ANI, Tewari said it was "extremely unfortunate" that the memory of terror attacks had faded in public discourse.
"It's extremely unfortunate that some people have forgotten the Baisaran (meadow) massacre. It has been only one year, two months, and eight days since innocent tourists were mercilessly butchered in front of their families in the name of their faith," Tewari said.
He further asserted that Pakistan's role in cross-border terrorism has remained consistent over decades.
"Pakistan's perfidy, its export of terror against India, its desire for retribution to bleed India with a thousand cuts now goes back almost five decades when we dismembered Pakistan and created a new country called Bangladesh," he said.
Tewari added that repeated attempts at engagement with Pakistan had historically been followed by terror attacks.
"So, over these five decades, every effort that India made to reach out to Pakistan had been followed by a terror attack sponsored by Pakistan. I am really surprised as to how these very eminent people can forget this history," he said.
He questioned the rationale behind calls for dialogue, saying India's core expectation from Pakistan is the end of terrorism.
"What is it that India wants from Pakistan? The only thing India wants from Pakistan is that there should be no export of terror," he said, adding that "romanticising normalisation" was "completely inexplicable."
"So, under those circumstances, this misty-eyed romanticism about wanting to normalise relationships with a country which has been hell-bent upon creating mayhem and terror in India is completely inexplicable, completely beyond comprehension. God alone knows where this pressure is coming from, which is that invisible hand which seems to be pressurising people in India to try and normalise," he added.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Gaurav Vallabh said India desires peace but not at the cost of national security, warning against normalising relations while terrorism continues.
"We desire peace, but we will not tolerate Pakistan-sponsored terrorism being brought into our country in the name of peace. This will be considered an act of war," Vallabh said.
He added that India has taken a firm stand against terrorism under the current leadership.
"For the first time, a government has spoken so decisively against terrorism. We want peace, but not the kind of peace advocated by parties that practice the politics of appeasement, where we remain silent while extremism and terrorism spread in our country. Peace cannot be one-sided; blood and water cannot be flown together," Vallabh said.
Meanwhile, Kashmiri leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, one of the signatories of the letter, defended the step, saying it's essential for the peace of Jammu and Kashmir's people.
"I too have signed the appeal because I believe that dialogue between India and Pakistan is very essential for the peace and people of J&K," Mirwaiz said.
He said civil society intervention becomes important when government-level dialogue is minimal.
"I appreciate this step by OP Shah. At a time when we see that there is very limited dialogue between the governments, I feel that such an effort by civil society is really important," he said.
Mirwaiz urged both countries to resume dialogue and diplomatic engagement.
"We appeal to PM Narendra Modi and Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif to restore talks and also restore diplomatic and people-to-people ties. We also appeal to them to resolve issues through talks," he added.
The remarks come amid a wider debate triggered by a letter signed by over 100 prominent citizens from India and Pakistan urging both governments to restore peace, normalcy and dialogue.
As this happened, in a major diplomatic assertion that firmly refutes reports of any diplomatic thaw with Islamabad, India has categorically distanced itself from reported back-channel engagements with Pakistan, clarifying that such interactions hold no official sanctity or value for New Delhi.
The statement comes amid a complete freeze in bilateral ties, which plummeted to a historic low after Pakistani state-sponsored terrorists killed 26 civilians in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in April 2025.